1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to speed measurement devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a radar speed measurement device that can calculate and store statistical information.
2. Description of Prior Art
Most radar speed measurement devices are designed to be used by law enforcement officers to determine vehicle speeds in an effort to monitor traffic flow and enforce traffic laws. Sports enthusiasts often wish to use these devices at sporting events to track the speed of thrown or hit balls, but devices designed for use by law enforcement officers are typically not well suited for use at sporting events, for a number of reasons. First, speed measuring devices designed for use by law enforcement purposes are typically bulky and may require external power sources. Second, these devices are specifically designed to detect the speed of large vehicles and may not be able to efficiently detect the speed of small objects, such as baseballs.
In recent years, speed measurement devices have been modified to be more useful at sporting events allowing them to detect the speed of baseballs; however, they are not capable of collecting statistics. Statistics, such as average speeds, pitch counts, as well as ball and strike totals are often collected by talent scouts, sports fans, and others. Therefore, people wishing to both detect the speed of balls and collect statistics are currently forced to use both a speed measurement device and some other means to collect statistics.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved speed measurement device that overcomes the limitations of the prior art.
The present invention overcomes the above-identified problems and provides a distinct advance in the art of speed measurement devices. More particularly, the present invention provides a radar speed measurement device that can detect the speed of a thrown or hit object such as a baseball and calculate and store statistical information. The device uses radar to measure speed by emitting radar waves at a target. As the radar waves are reflected by the target, they undergo a frequency shift. This phenomenon is commonly known as a Doppler Shift. The magnitude of the Doppler Shift can be used to calculate a target speed, which is the speed of the target, relative to the device.
The device broadly comprises a radar emitter for emitting emitted radar waves toward the target, a radar receiver for receiving received radar waves reflected from the target, an analog to digital converter for producing digital signals associated with the radar waves, a signal processor for determining the target speed by analyzing the digital signals, and a display for displaying the target speed. In accordance with an important aspect of the present invention, the device can also calculate and store statistics associated with the target and further comprises a statistical processor for calculating the statistics, a memory for storing the statistics, several buttons for controlling the functionality of the device, and a housing for containing and protecting the device.
The device can preferably be configured to operate in either of two modes. A speed mode is preferably used to determine the target speed, when the target is a race car or any other object. In the speed mode, the statistical processor preferably calculates generic statistics, such as a last speed and an average speed.
A baseball statistics mode is preferably used to determine the target speed, when the target is a baseball or other object thrown by a pitcher or other person. In the baseball statistics mode, the statistical processor preferably calculates a number of pitches, a number of balls, and a number of strikes, in addition to the last speed and the average speed. Furthermore, the device can track statistics separately for more than one pitcher. For example, the device can independently track the number of pitches, the number of balls, and the number of strikes for up to eight different pitchers.
The display is preferably mounted to a rear panel of the housing and displays the target speed and the statistics. Additionally, the display may be used to display mode information in order to assist a user in selecting one of the modes described above. The display is preferably a liquid crystal display approximately one and five eighths inches wide and approximately seven eights of an inch tall.
The radar emitter and the radar receiver are preferably mounted behind a front panel of the housing. This configuration allows the user to direct the emitted radar waves toward and receive the received radar waves reflected from the target by pointing the device at the target. The radar emitter and the radar receiver are preferably electrically coupled allowing the radar receiver to detect the Doppler Shift and generate analog signals representative of the Doppler Shift.
The analog to digital converter receives the analog signals from the radar receiver and transforms them into digital signals which are transferred to the signal processor. The signal processor receives and analyzes the digital signals to determine the target speed. For example, the signal processor performs Fast Fourier Transform calculations on the digital signals and thereby determines the target speed.
The statistical processor receives the target speed from the signal processor and uses the target speed to calculate the average speed. The statistical processor also stores a proceeding target speed as the last speed. Additionally, the statistical processor increments the number of pitches each time a new target speed is received from the signal processor. Furthermore, the statistical processor increments the number of balls and the number of strikes according to input received from the user through the buttons, as described below. Finally, the statistical processor stores the statistics in the memory.
The buttons comprise a power button for turning the device on and off, a trigger for initiating measurement of the target speed, a page button for allowing the user to select one of the modes, an enter button for allowing the target speed to be used in calculating the statistics and incrementing the pitch count, a down button for incrementing the number of balls, and an up button for incrementing the number of strikes. When the trigger is depressed, the radar emitter begins emitting the emitted radar waves and the signal processor continually updates the target speed, which is continually displayed on the display. When the trigger is released, the radar emitter stops emitting the emitted radar waves and the signal processor locks onto a most recent target speed, which is displayed on the display.
In use, the user may measure the target speed in the speed mode by first depressing and releasing the power button in order to turn on the device. The user points the device at the target. The user causes the signal processor to calculate the target speed by depressing the trigger. The user may see the target speed displayed on the display. The user causes the device to lock onto the target speed by releasing the trigger. If the user would like the device to calculate the statistics using the target speed, then the user depresses and releases the enter button. As soon as the enter button is depressed, the statistical processor updates both the last speed and the average speed.